Mindmap

Ancient Egypt

H M Englisch

Inhalt der Mindmap

Ancient Egypt

Pharaohs
- Duties
  - Make the Nile flood
  - Egypt's army -being able to defend against enemies
  - Enough food to feed the people
  - Ensure the gods look kindly on the people
  - Ma'at (truth) was a main part of Egyptian life
- Headdresses/Crowns
  - Atef Crown - white headdress - decorated with ostrich feathers - worn during religious events
  - Red Crown - symbolised pharaoh's control over Lower Egypt
  - White Crown - symbolised pharaoh's control over Upper Egypt
  - Double Crown - symbolised joining of two lands, pharaoh's control over them
  - Blue crown (the Khepresh) (the war crown) - blue cloth or leather headdress - decorated with bronze or gold discs - worn in battles, ceremonies
  - Nemes Headdress - blue + gold striped head cloth - main crown of pharaoh
- Pharaohs - considered gods living on the Earth
Geography
- Located in North Africa
- Over 90% of Egypt is desert
- Nile river
  - Nile flows South to North, wind blows North to South - easy travel
    - Easiest + main form of transport - boats
  - Nile river runs through centre of Egypt
- Red Land
  - Harsh landscape - contained little to no water
  - unsustainable area, society could not be created there
- Black Land
  - Soil was black, full of nutrients, great for farming
  - On the banks of the Nile - large water supply, sustainable area for a society
Religion
- Afterlife
  - Afterlife was believed in
  - Field of Reeds - Ancient Egyptian Religion's version of Heaven
  - Heart weighing ceremony - heart compared to Ma'at feather
    - Heart weighs the same as Ma'at feather - granted access to Field of Reeds
    - Heart heavier than Ma'at feather - heart eaten by Ammut (a mythical beast) - you vanish from existence
  - When a pharaoh dies, they become part of Osiris - Every pharaoh that has ever lived became a part of Osiris once they died
  - No Hell, just Field of Reeds
  - Afterlife can still be dangerous - scorpions, crocodiles, monsters...
  - Had the same job in the afterlife as in the world of the living - e.g: farmer, craftsperson, slave...
  - Can take things from the world of the living with you to the afterlife - e.g: pots, jars, food, pans...
  - Mummification/embalming
    - When you die "Ba" and "Ka" (your soul) leave body
      - If you go to Field of Reeds, your soul has to find your body to rejoin and live forever
    - Washed in Nile water, Palm wine
      - Intestines, stomach, liver, lungs removed via incision in left side
        Brain removed using a hook through the nose
        Body stuffed with natron salts - left for 70 days to dry out
        40 days in - body stuffed with sand - covered in natron salts - left to dry out for the last 30 days
        Canopic jars - figurines
        Human figure - liver
        Baboon figure - lungs
        Jackal figure - stomach
        Falcon figure - intestines
- Gods
  - Ra - sun god - hawk head -headdress with sun disc resting on head
  - Thoth - god of writing, knowledge - ibis head - holding writing palette
  - Anubis - jackal head - god of mummification
  - Osiris - man in white - wears Atef Crown - holds crook and flail - god of the dead, ruler of underworld
  - Sobek - crocodile head - god of military prowess, the Nile
  - Horus - hawk head - god of the sky, ruler of the world of the living
  - Seth - god of chaos, desturction
  - Isis - goddess of rebirth, reincarnation
  - Hathor - cow horns and sun disc - goddess of fertility, dance + song, women, childbirth, perfume, joy, love
  - Ma'at - feather of truth - balance between good (order) and bad (chaos) - represented as a goddess - goddess wears Ma'at feather, sometimes has wings
- Main part of every Egyptian's life
Social Structure
- Pharaohs - sole ruler
- Vizier, senior officials, high priests and nobels
- Scribes
- Skilled artisans and craftspeople
- Peasant farmers and workers
- Servants and slaves
Trade
- Sinai Desert
  - - Metal (gold, tin, silver, lead copper) - Turquoise
- Libya
  - - Lion and Leopard skins
- Nubia
  - - Metal (gold, tin, silver, lead copper) - Slaves - Ivory
- Byblos (Lebanon)
  - - Cedar Wood (for boats)
- Bactria (Iran)
  - - Lapiz-Lazuli - Kohl
- Punt
  - - Incense - Myrrh - Oils - Ebony